EPA head Scott Pruitt will be testifying before two Congressional committees today. He will face questions about his efforts to roll back Obama-era environmental rules and regulations as well as about a sizable list of ethical problems. These complaints include Pruitt’s costly first-class travel, outlandish security expenses, and allegations that he accepted a sweetheart condo rental from an oil industry lobbyist. The NYTimes.com is reporting Pruitt’s defense strategy will be “[…] to blame both career and political staff members as well as his security detail for myriad spending decisions.”
For those who wish to follow along CNN has thoughtfully compiled a list of Pruitt’s controversial regulatory actions and his alleged ethical lapses. The one ethical question most people have heard of — which in a pre-Trump political universe would have been more than enough to trigger his firing — is of course Pruitt’s sound-proof booth. Dubbed “the cone of silence,” it was created in his office at cost of $43,000, even though secure telecommunications facilities are available in the same building a few floors below.
So, follow along but don’t let the toxic smoke get in your eyes given that Trump and company are still determined to gut the EPA.
